The Ten Shinobi of Konoha
by Ellie October
Summary: Konoha has gone to ruins because of gang violence, and the only reason I stayed behind was because of five girls. However, being with these girls extends into being affiliated with the gang of Shinobi... if only I didn't have Shinobiphobia. The place we hang out at is basically the gang's base, and the ANBU are out to find it. Shit. Rated T for violence/swearing. KibaxOC/OCxOC.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Meet The Ten

**Dalila's POV**

As I journeyed down one of the many abandoned and littered streets of Konoha, I sighed. Shaking my head, I watched the clouds draw in yet again. It had been rainy all week.

My name is Dalila Akeda and I am a resident of gang-ravaged Konoha. With my shiny black hair and my bright blue eyes accompanied by my tea-colored skin, I travelled through downtown.

The only thing that seemed to be happening these days was the war between the ANBU black ops and the gang members called The 10 Shinobi of Konoha, who constantly referred to themselves as The Ten.

These ten guys were criminals. They held up stores, worked together with gangs in other villages, and were constantly fighting with other people from different gangs in the same village and the ANBU, who are out to lock them up in jail, dead or alive.

The group was split into two groups; the money handlers/dealers, who were called the Deal Sealers, and the kick the shit out of you unless you comply/spies, or the Strong Arms.

Five were on one side, and five on the other. Due to this, the group had two leaders. All of the guys in the gang had something for which they were the best at, and every single one of them had enough Shinobi skills that had helped them all avoid the ANBU for almost a year.

I am not a Shinobi, and I never aspired to be one. Not only did I have absolutely no talent in that field whatsoever, but I was afraid of them.

One had confronted me in my childhood and I had been terrified. Ninjas seemed almost super-human to me. Every single one of the guys in that gang were Shinobi. Yet, none of them wore the headbands a Shinobi was supposed to wear, because they _are_ sort of classified as 'missing nin' at the moment.

I haven't been able to function properly around anyone that I had suspected to be a ninja ever since... until the day when I met a couple of girls who then became part of my small circle of friends. I had had no idea that they were Shinobi at all until they had told me so. Because they know of my fears, they don't use any of their skills around me and refuse to let the others tease me.

Of course, just my luck, my friends just happened to know at least one of the gang members personally. Being friends with them was definately a risk; I would be surrounded by my fears 24/7, but after my family had decided to clear out after all of the gang business was just starting to get over the top, they were all I had. I had been entrusted with my parents' old apartment since, and I enjoyed living on my own.

Almost everyone we had grown up with had moved out of Konoha because of the gang activity, so many of the parents, siblings, and young children don't live here anymore.

I was just on my way to meet with these unpredictable friends when a man no older than I was pushed me to the side rudely, not even bothering to look back and apologize. Not even to grace me with a glare or a sneer.

_"This place just gets trashier and trashier the longer this violence goes on..."_

My own thought stuck with me for awhile as I shook it off and raced toward Hinata Hyuga's mansion-like house.

Hinata, one of my only friends now, had a unique insider's view on what the gang was doing, considering that one of their members was her cousin, Neji Hyuga. She had told all of us what the gang was and has been doing nowadays, but it wasn't like we could do anything about it.

All of us girls came from Konoha except for our hot tamale Temari; she's from Suna, but her youngest brother came to Konoha along with her to become part of the gang on some of the other member's requests a little over a year ago.

The Ten stayed clear of us for the most part, but sometimes they would stop and have small conversations with us like we're all just normal 16-17 year old kids, which none of us were except for me.

I reached the door, looked around twice, then knocked in the normal fashion. If the ANBU got as much as a _sniff_ of suspicion, we'd be done in.

"Hey, it's me." I whispered, looking around to make sure I wasn't being watched.

Hinata was at the door in an instant as she opened it up and ushered me in.

"Hi Dalila!" Her bright face lit up the darkened room like usual.

I navigated through the small entrance way to see that all of the girls were already sitting in their usual seats in the living room.

Temari seemed to be gossiping on how her brother, one of the two most brutal guys in the gang, never really liked anyone to begin with.

Smirking as I looked at my only friends, I remembered that every single one of these girls had something for one of the members except for me:

Ino Yamanaka, the fashionista of our group, had a little something for the artist Sai. He was on the deal sealing side of things, and he was one of the most mysterious of them all.

Sakura Haruno, the pinkette, had always thought something of the leader of the Deal Sealers, Sasuke Uchiha. It was said that if you get caught in his Genjutsu, then you don't have any time to think before he kills you.

Tenten, one of the strongest women that I knew, was always talking about Hinata's cousin, Neji. He was a smart one, and on the Deal Sealers.

Temari's little brother, Gaara, was a Strong Arm who was one of the strongest of all, and Temari had always liked someone called Shikamaru Nara. He was a Deal Sealer, but also a strategist.

Hinata had always liked the leader of the Strong Arms; Naruto Uzumaki. He was a flamboyant one; always trying to show off and pull things off better than his partner in crime, Sasuke.

Among those not mentioned was also Choji Akimichi, a Strong Arm who could kill you with one hand tied behind his back.

Shino Aburame, a mysterious guy, but was a Deal Sealer. He doesn't talk much, but when words do manage to find some way out of him, they're pretty bloody brilliant.

Rock Lee, a Strong Arm who could permanently injure you just from a punch to the naval.

Kiba Inuzuka and his huge ass dog Akamaru, Strong Arms, and rivaled with Gaara in brutality. Once he sic'd Akamaru on you, prepare to die in the worst way possible.

All of the gang members carried guns on them, just in case something got ugly, and all of the guys dressed like they had somewhere to go and someplace to be. Ties, jackets, tight and official-looking button down shirts, and sometimes hats.

It was known to only us girls and The Ten themselves that their base was in Hinata's basement. However, we can't go down there because the entire room is chakra encoded to only those ten members, and I can't even use chakra anyway.

I took my seat next to Tenten at the end of a tan, sleek and leathery couch.

"Oh, I know!" Temari had burst out as soon as I sat down. "We should have a girl's night out!"

Sakura's green eyes widened from her seat next to Ino. "What would we do?"

Tenten smirked as if she was onto something. "We could try to sneak up on the boys. _That'd_ be an adventure."

I couldn't help but facepalm. "We can't. They're some of the most experienced Shinobi in Konoha. It would end _horribly_ if they're expecting the ANBU."

Hinata nodded, her eyebrows knitting together worriedly. "I agree…"

Ino snapped her fingers moments later. "Maybe we could follow them!"

Sakura slapped her arm forcefully. "We don't know where they're going, _forehead girl_."

Before those two could get into their normal quarrel, a figure emerged from the depths of the forbidden staircase that led downstairs.

All of us froze, wondering who it was. As the spooked haze cleared from my vision, a long haired guy in a white, tailored suit and white shoes appeared, a green 'x' on his forehead, and a blue tie seemed to jazz up the room.

Hinata waved. "Hi, Neji."

Neji just grunted, glanced at all five of us in turn, and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Once he was finished, he threw it into the trash and went back downstairs without uttering a single word to us.

As soon as he was gone, Tenten allowed her face to go completely red.

All of us 'aww'ed as we decided on speculating what the boys did down the stairs.

**The Gang's POV**

"Dammit, Teme, what the hell do we do now?"

Naruto Uzumaki had every right to angry.

The deal with Suna's major gang, trading a thousand Ryo for guns, didn't work out so well. Those bastards had only done it to help out the ANBU, thus screwing the peace treaty the two gangs held together.

The Ten had almost gotten caught, and Choji had gotten his leg all screwed up, which makes the gang down one Strong Arm for awhile.

Sasuke, answering to Naruto's stupid pet-name, backfired with his own.

"I dunno, Dobe. There's little else we _can_ do, except keep robbing this place for more fund money."

The other eight members were also in the basement/hideout along with them, chilling out like normal; laying down, pacing, and watching tv.

Neji had just come back from getting his drink when Gaara asked: "What are the girls gossiping about now?"

Neji just shrugged. "When they heard me coming up the stairs, they stopped talking."

Lee looked interested, "All of the girls were there?"

Neji nodded and relaxed on a vacant couch silently.

Naruto sighed, then smirked like he had an idea. "Do any of you guys have your eyes on one of them? You know... not feelings, but... you guys think any of them are good-looking?"

Gaara closed his eyes and layed back. "I have eyes on no one. I would only kill them."

All of the other guys shuddered, for they knew Gaara's cold nature, and Shino spoke up, nodding. "Girls are of no use to me."

Kiba muttered, laughing. "Good luck getting laid!"

The whole room bursted into laughter, and Shino knitted his eyebrows together in what seemed like anger.

"Okay, make fun of me all you want. Who do _you_ have eyes on, huh, Inuzuka?"

Kiba growled, looking around. "I don't have my eyes on any of _them._"

Naruto rolled his eyes as he glanced at Neji. "Well… sorry, Hyuga… but your cousin is _smokin'._"

Neji threw a pen at Naruto's head. "Like she'd _ever_ go for an idiot like _you_."

Sasuke sighed, looking away. "Well… I'd rather not say that I have my eye on any of them."

Naruto snorted. "Don't kid yourself, Teme. I've seen the way you look at the pink-haired one… Sakura, was it? Is that her natural hair color…?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Go ask."

Naruto just huffed and looked at Shikamaru. "How about you?"

Shikamaru just sighed and glared back. "It's troublesome enough trying to think about strategies, but… Gaara, your sister isn't bad. She's pretty fierce, and I like that in a woman."

Gaara just face-palmed. "She's bossier than nothing else, Nara."

Neji said, suddenly. "The girl with the buns in her hair… Tenten, I guess."

All eyes turned to Sai, who was sitting in a corner with a paintbrush and some paper.

"Do you like any of the girls, Sai?" Demanded Naruto.

Sai looked up from his paintings. "If I _had_ to choose one… It'd be the blonde, slutty looking one."

The guys snickered at Sai's word choice, and Choji said, munching on some barbeque chips. "Huh… wasn't there another one?"

Neji's eyes widened, sounding interested. "Yeah… now that I think about it, there _was_ another one."

"I'm gonna go upstairs and see for myself!"

Naruto suddenly announced before Kiba tripped him and he fell face first onto the carpetted ground.

"You're an idiot, Uzumaki. If you go upstairs, then you'll just make an ass out of yourself."

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes. "Who wants to go up and check this shit out, then?"

No one volunteered until Neji sighed, mimicking Sasuke. "It is _my_ house, so I suppose I will, but only to save Uzumaki from making himself look like an idiot."

The group of guys let out a collective laugh, and Naruto just snorted. "Suit yourself, Freebird."

Neji started back up the stairs, and when he reached the top, all of the girls were staring at him except for one certain one; the one that no one really knew about.

She didn't stand out by name like the other girl's did; she was just… there.

Neji took a moment to survey her appearance to tell the guys, took another drink of water, and walked right back downstairs.

Once he hit the bottom step, an anxious Naruto pounced on him. "So?! Is there another?!"

Neji shook him off and snorted. "Yeah, there is."

All of the guys were attentive now.

"How can that be…?" Lee asked. "I never noticed her."

The Ten seemed to agree with him as the entire room burst out into frantic 'I-told-you-so's.

The white-eyed spy shrugged and pinched the bridge of his nose as the comments got more dim-witted by the minute.

"Do you want me to describe her to you, you blockheads?" When all fell silent, Neji began:

"She was actually a small figure. Even smaller than Lady Hinata. However, she is pretty well endowed for being so small-"

A certain person cut him off. "You gonna describe _that_ to us instead?!"

Sai was looking up from his painting with wide eyes, and everyone face-palmed. Naruto groaned. "Perverted idiot..."

Sasuke could be heard faintly, muttering about how the blondie was one to talk as Neji growled exasperatedly.

"No, Sai. I wasn't done…"

The Hyuga continued, rushing to avoid further interruptions. "She has a little bit of a darker complexity than the other girls, and her eyes are different… they're more of a cerulean color. She had small features, and long eyelashes. Her hair was shiny black, and went to approximately the middle of her back, and it looked wavy and silk-like."

The room was silent for a moment until Shino speculated: "So… that's it?"

Neji nodded, and Naruto just sighed, itching his head. "Judging by the fact that none of us even noticed she was _there_, I'd say she's quiet."

The other members nodded in agreement, but Sai suddenly proposed: "Why don't we all go upstairs and talk to them? You know, take a little bit of a break from all this work..."

Smiles made their ways onto most of the members faces at the thought of getting a break, and Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Guys, we don't have _time_ for this! We have to sort out all of our debt problems and…"

"Ah, what the hell, Teme," Naruto sighed. "We deserve a bit of time off, don't you think?"

Sasuke paused, and then sighed as well, standing up. "Fine. But only for a _little._"

**Dalila's POV**

I was laughing with the girls; Ino and Tenten were making a play about the way some of the guys looked and acted, but we heard lots of footsteps coming up the stairs at the same time.

Ino's eyes widened in a fan-girlish and Tenten whispered. "Ah, shit."

Hinata's eyes were widened, but I personally didn't know what to feel. Fear? Happiness?

_"They always tease me about not liking any of them… maybe this'll be my chance to think about it..."_

All of the gang members seemed to file out of the staircase as Neji proposed: "Mind if we sit here, girls?"

Tenten glared at him. "Don't you mean… _ladies_?!"

He stared back at her calmly. "Sure."

Hinata just nodded, and the guys all sat down on the ground in front of us.

It was an awkward silence, and I didn't know what to do. _"Honestly… I'm just plain terrified of these guys…"_

Temari, as always, broke the silence. "So… do you guys… need something or what?"

Sasuke looked up at her, his dark eyes paralyzing me with instant terror.

"Well, we're taking time off from our schedule, and we thought we'd hang with you girls for a sec. Not to mention I have a little idea, no matter how corny it is."

Tenten growled at being called a 'girl', not a 'lady' again, but Sasuke seemed to ignored her.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, a light pink blush on her cheeks. "Uh… what's your idea?"

His eyes made their way to hers and he smirked. "We're going to play a game."

Naruto grabbed his own blonde head and shrunk for a minute. "Shit, this isn't Saw, is it?!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at his acomplice. "Okay… so we'll just go in a circle and tell something unusual about ourselves. Starting with me… I want to kill a bastard named Idate from Suna because he fucked our gang. Screwing our treaty like that…"

I knew only a little bit about what had happened, but I had no idea how serious Sasuke was about killing other people. The very thought made me squirm in my seat.

Naruto jumped up almost immediately, making me stop thinking of the hatred in Sakura's dark haired heartthrob's eyes.

"Ok… my turn. Honestly, I've gotta say… I eat ramen at least four times a day!"

All of the guys in the room seemed to say something along the lines of 'of course' and I felt myself smile; this kid was _really_ something.

Sai looked up from a paper in his hand as his turn came around. "I guess I'd say that I hate no one in this room."

"That's something coming from you, Sai…" Naruto commented before Gaara growled, his hair being ruffled by his older sister.

"I want to kill a _certain someone_…"

Neji sighed. "I like... all colors… of the rainbow."

Everyone looked at him like he was crazy, and Sasuke seemed to smirk. "And I thought you were one of us. Might as well hang out with the girlies from now on, Neji, you pansy."

"Watch it, Uchiha."

"Whatcha gonna do?"

As a small scuffle broke out, I concentrated on not looking as the girls started going on about what was odd about them, most of which I already knew.

I began twiddling my thumbs until it was my turn. _"I don't want to look like an idiot... what am I even going to say? There is only one thing that is odd about me."_

My Shinobiphobia.

All eyes turned to me as the thought hit me. Clearing my throat, I said what I had to say.

"I'm... not a Shinobi."

The girls knew this and exactly why, so they seemed to take it normally, however, the gang did not.

Naruto's eyes widened, along with the others. "You're not?!"

I hadn't really expected any questions, and I felt a faint blush engulfing my cheeks.

"No… I just don't have the ability…"

"Tch…" Naruto snorted. "Why not?"

I looked away, feeling the familiar lump in my throat. "Because I'm afraid."

All of the girl's eyes seemed to widen; they _knew_ I hated to talk about it.

It made me feel weak and helpless, like I'm useless.

That's when I heard a collective snicker from around the room, and felt the normal tears build up in my eyes; I hated when people laughed at me.

"Hey," Tenten piped up in my defense. "Don't make fun of her."

Neji just smirked up to me. "Don't tell me… what you're afraid of… is _Shinobi_."

The whole room, with the exception of the girls and I, erupted in uncontrollable laughter.

I couldn't take the ridicule anymore.

The pain I endured internally was enough.

I stood up, stumbling over one of the guys, and ran out of the Hyuga mansion blindly.

My feet seemed to take me wherever they wanted to, which was a vacant spot in Konoha; a place that I used to call 'The Park', but since no one came here anymore because of the fear of getting shot, it was just a vacant field-like place.

I stopped and wiped the tears from my eyes; I didn't know what I'd do if someone saw me crying.

_"What do I do? What SHOULD I do? I don't want to go back and end up looking stupid..."_

I sat down on bench that was weathered and a bit rusty and sighed aloud.

Suddenly, there was a man making a beeline toward me.

I watched him reach for something, which made me shudder and tense up. Immediately, I shot up off of the bench I was sitting on in fear.

My mouth wouldn't even open because of the fear that kept it shut.

_"Call for help!"_

My conscience knew what I should have been doing, but my brain wouldn't respond to the calling as the man seemed to smirk at me, as if he knew my fate.

As I closed my eyes hopelessly, a flash of white forced them back open.

A dog stood in front of me, accompanied by one of The Ten.

**The Gang/Girl's POV**

The guys were still laughing as Dalila ran out of the Hyuga mansion, and Sakura spoke up, her green eyes flaming.

"You guys are so inconsiderate!"

The laughter ceased as Sai spoke up. "How do you _not_ see how hilarious that is? Someone, afraid of _Shinobi?!_ That's borderline _ridiculous_!"

A few snickers arose from The Ten, until Hinata sighed. "I… I guess we sh… should go find Dalila. Isn't there a rival gang being a lot more… active these days?"

Naruto rubbed his chin. "You're right, but how the hell are we supposed to figure out where she went?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Inuzuka, fetch."

Kiba's eyes widened in anger. "You're not the boss of me, Uchiha."

Naruto lounged back. "Well, I am. Go fetch!" He seemed to smirk with Kiba's reluctance to go, and he finally gave up.

"Tch. C'mon, Akamaru."

The giant white dog barked and followed Kiba out the door.

**Kiba's POV**

As soon as Akamaru and I had gotten out of the Hyuga mansion, I jumped onto his back.

"Let's go. You know what she smells like. Right...?"

My partner seemed to bark understandingly as he sniffed around for a minute, and as soon as Akamaru picked up her scent, we took off, flying through the nearly empty streets.

Not long after, we arrived at the park, which used to be full of life, but was now deserted.

Akamaru whined when he spotted the girl, and that's when I noticed a rival gang member approaching her with stealth, a gun drawn.

_"Shit,"_ I growled inwardly.

Without much of a second thought about the poor girl, I raced over to her and stood in front of her, my right hand on the gun strapped to my right leg.

"Come any closer, and you'll die." I warned the shady character.

**Dalila's POV**

I realized it was Kiba, and I felt my heartbeat speed up. _"How'd he get here so quickly?"_

The man who had been approaching me backed off and began fleeing the opposite way.

The wind ruffled the trees at my back as I stood up to thank the gang member, a loud sound rang out.

Pain rushed through my body as I wobbled around, and my hand instantly flew to my right shoulder.

Kiba turned to me and his eyes widened in confusion and quickly morphed into concentration.

Through the haze of pain that I had to peer through, I watched Kiba's hand fly to his gun and he started shooting behind me.

Eventually, I heard a dull thud of something hitting the littered ground and the Strong Arm ceased fire.

His dog whined as it pushed its nose into the palm of my hand.

"I _know_ that, Akamaru." Kiba seemed to scowl at his furry friend.

The agony made its way into the pit of my stomach as I bit my bottom lip and tightened the hold on my arm to prevent crying out.

Kiba must have noticed this because he took a step toward me.

"Are you okay?!"

I looked into this Shinobi's eyes and saw nothing but concern for me.

_"He doesn't even know me… why would he care?"_ I faintly thought.

Glancing down at the spot where I knew I had gotten shot, I could see blood beginning to trickle out from the gaps in my hand.

Kiba jerked his head suddenly. "C'mon. We'll get you fixed up."

I couldn't really do anything except listen to him as he walked toward his dog, Akamaru.

He looked back at me for a moment. "Here, I'll let you ride in front of me."

I felt my legs move toward him, but I must have tripped over myself, because I stumbled for a moment. _"Why won't my body comply?!"_

I stepped up to Akamaru, and a sudden wave of pain made me flinch.

Almost immediately, I felt a pair of arms around me, lifting me onto the dog.

My injury seemed to burn with the strength of the sun being seared against my arm.

I felt a low sound come from Kiba's throat as he seemed to barely whisper to Akamaru: "Let's go."

As we hurried back to where I'm guessing was the Hyuga mansion, I felt myself begin to lose consciousness.

Occasionally, my head would fall and I'd have to use all of my energy to keep it up.

_"It feels like Akamaru is gliding through the air."_ The ride back, besides my light-headedness, was smooth and relaxing, but it may have been because I was going into shock or something.

Suddenly, we jerked to a stop, and my back became cold with the absence of the gang member behind me.

I turned my head slowly to see Kiba's crispy white button-down shirt, and everything suddenly went completely black and everything seemed to mute as I fell into a disturbed darkness.

**The Gang/The Girl's POV**

The remaining gang members had been talking in Hinata's living room.

They hadn't talked much, mainly because everyone was nervous for their own reasons, and the ones who weren't nervous didn't talk much anyway.

Suddenly, Akamaru burst through the door, whining, and Kiba walked through, trying to carry an unconscious Dalila but looking kind of awkward.

Sakura and Ino jumped up simultaneously. "What happened?!"

He walked to the middle of the room and nodded to Shino. "Right shoulder."

Shino nodded back and summoned some odd-looking bugs from his arms, who crawled into the cracks between Dalila's fingers and into her wound.

As the process began, Kiba sat down with Dalila in his lap.

Naruto glared at him. "What the hell happened, Inuzuka?"

Kiba looked up at the blonde. "Rival gangs _are_ active these days."

Tenten's eyes widened as she glanced worriedly at the other girls. "She… got _shot_?"

Kiba nodded, seemingly absentmindedly.

Gaara stood up, emotionless as always. "Did you take care of them?"

The spiky-haired Inuzuka nodded. "But there may be more out there… I don't know."

Gaara nodded to Lee and Naruto almost immediately. "We should go check."

The three dispersed outside and the room was silent until Sasuke spoke up.

"Huh… well… we never noticed her before. Can you girls tell us more about her?" His dark eyes rested on Dalila's unconscious figure for a moment before flicking to the group of girls.

Temari spoke up, unable to keep her eyes off of Dalila as well.

"Well, out of all of us… she's the one who blends in. She and Hinata are nearly the same, but… she doesn't like to talk about things such as her being afraid of ninjas. I think you guys really set her off there…"

Sasuke's eyes were closed in thought for a moment and he opened them to glance at Shino.

"How's she doing?"

Shino's eyebrows were knitted in concentration. "Just fine. My bugs are decomposing the bullet to the point of no harm."

All the girls glanced amongst themselves nervously.

Hinata spoke up for the first time. "W…Will she be ok?"

Shino nodded slowly. "Yes… but she may be out for a while, depending on how her body handles it; it probably isn't used to the shock, but my bugs will help with that…"

The next few minutes were spent in silence, until Dalila finally opened her eyes.

* * *

7/7/13: Haha, have I been busy! This will be my **_third_ **time putting this story up. Hehe, removed it because I reread it and noticed all of the errors and became embarassed to the point of 'how could I curse people with its presence?!' xD

Also, it has been revamped :P I like the way I edited it :3

Until next time... :3 Rate/review!


	2. You Can't Hide Everything

_Flashback:_

_The next few minutes were spent in silence, until Dalila finally opened her eyes._

Chapter 2: You Can't Hide Everything

**Dalila's POV**

What seemed like moments later, my eyes shot open.

The first thing that I took in was the smiling faces of the girls. The pain had dulled, but I could still feel the sting of the wound.

Temari was the first to address me. "You're finally up!"

All I could do was blink in confusion for a moment; how'd I get inside? Was I okay?

I began to sit up as I experimented with my strength, but a hand pushed me firmly back down. It was gentle enough to have been a push, but firm enough for me to get the message.

Thoughts soon began registering in my mind at a slow rate as I took a look around at my surroundings.

_"What's going on? Who pushed me?"_

My surroundings revealed that it was none other than a familiar-looking boy that I just happened to be sitting in the lap of.

Immediately, my cheeks felt as if they were on fire.

_"No control over my emotions... is this what weakness feels like?"_

A deep voice broke the silence of the room. "She should be okay… my insects decomposed the bullet to the point of no harm and I utilized others to help with the healing."

"_B-bugs?!"_

That seemed to be my only thought as I shook off the feeling that the insects could be crawling on me.

Then, Hinata smiled brightly. "So… Neji, what are the gang's plans now?"

Neji sighed, his eyes wandering to a spot on the carpetted floor.

"Well… actually… there's nothing for us to _do _at the moment. We're low on money and shit so we can't actually _carry out_ the things that are on our checklist, but we could fix that soon. We're working on the ultimate deal, so… we'll be out of our endless debt hole soon, and all the money and weapons will be ours!"

Shikamaru, who had been quietly sitting next to the wounded warrior Choji, even taking a chip from him from time to time, seemed to sigh just with his expression.

"Yeah, that's great and all, it's been fun, but this has been our only break in _days._ It's kind of troublesome being a wanted criminal…"

As the small talk went on, the voices faded to the background as a subtle blush lit my face.

_"It's like… fireworks. But… no. I can't feel this way about a gang member… a Shinobi at that. No… I can't… but… he can't be all bad; his dog is the sweetest creature I've ever met."_

I glanced to my side and felt Akamaru's soft fur against my right cheek.

The dog barked, and Kiba's entire chest seemed to tighten. "What's up?"

Akamaru only whined momentarily as Kiba glanced at me, making my heart flutter. "Nope."

_"I wonder what they talk about. Maybe they were talking about me..."_ The way his eyes seemed to shoot to mine as he spoke to Akamaru unnerved me.

Without a moment more to think about it, the door swung opened and Gaara, Lee, and Naruto rushed into the living room.

All three were sweaty and their eyes were wide, almost like deer or fish. So wide, in fact, curiousity hit me with an instant. Is this the sort of fear they go through every day?

"Damn… the ANBU caught us sniffing around," Naruto puffed, sounding out of breath. "However… they caught the other guy instead… so we're good!"

Gaara seemed to glare at Naruto. "If only you had let me kill him..."

Sasuke stood up, looking like he was trying to prevent a fight breaking out.

"Break time is over."

All of the guys in the room cursed pretty much simultaneously and they got up to leave.

Kiba stood up and placed me back in my normal seat on the couch.

I couldn't help, with my stupid girly mind, noticing how much care he put into placing me down softly, and when he let me go, he smiled at me. Not a bright and sunny smile either.

That cocky smile.

My heart exploded with feeling as I twitched with glee.

and she felt a faint smile on her own face as well.

The look in his eyes… they were so dangerous, so sharp and almost commanding… they made me want to know so much more about him.

_"As if he'd ever have time for ME. I don't want anything to do with him, anyway."_ I tried to tell myself as he pulled away and followed the rest of the men down the stairs with Akamaru following him closely.

Almost immediately after all of the footsteps ceased, Ino nearly squealed as she swooned. "They're _so_ bad…"

Sakura sighed, looking away. "Sasuke… he seemed so… in control. I wonder how they do it all with such cool heads."

Temari smirked. "Can't say I blame them; they know they'll never get caught!"

Tenten huffed, her lip sticking out in a pouty manner. "Neji called me a _girl._ I'm a fucking _lady_!"

All Hinata did was blush, and all eyes turned to me almost simultaneously.

Temari started, a sinister look in her eyes. "So… how about that, huh? Do you _still_ not have your eye on _any_ of the guys?"

I shook my head out of habit from being asked this question on many occasions. There was no way in hell that I would _ever_ think about _any_ of the gang members in that way.

Ino stood up and confronted me. "Yeah, right! You and Kiba would make the _ultimate_ couple and you _know_ it!"

My cheeks felt like they were on fire as I muttered under my breath. "No. We wouldn't be."

Sakura continued, picking up where Ino left off as usual. "Yeah, you would! He helped you, and he _carried_ you back into the mansion. Isn't that just the sweetest thing you've ever heard?"

Tenten laughed, smirking at me. "Yeah, didn't you see his eyes? When he was carrying you in here, he had something in his eyes. What was that emotion…?"

Without any hesitation, all the girls burst out: "Love!", making me shrivel up in embarrassment.

Hinata sighed. "Why don't we leave poor Dalila alone about him? Would you be in the mood to talk after you had gotten shot?"

All of them besides Hinata and I exhaled sharply.

"Fine… okay," Ino shrugged. "But, Dalila… you _have_ to tell us if you start feeling something."

Before I could comment back about how I would never go for a Shinobi, much less one as scary as Kiba, a pair… no, two pairs of footsteps began to come up the stairs.

Temari had already started her sentence as the footsteps got louder. "Heh, alright. Fine. Don't tell us who you like, Dalila, but we'll find out. And when we do… we'll do _everything_ we can to help make it work. Even though we already know who it is."

I immediately felt myself tune out after seeing who it was that came up the stairs.

When I saw that it was none other than Kiba Inuzuka, just my luck, I looked away as fast as I could to avoid eye contact. If I so much as made one wrong move, it'd be grounds for another outburst from my friends.

_"There's no way I'd ever like him. He's a Shinobi, a powerful one, and he's a gang member. I will never get close to him in that way. In ANY way, if possible."_

Trying not to show my friends any weakness in my alibi that I felt _nothing_ for that gang member, I lifted my eyes up, only for them to be pulled to him, like a magnet.

Instantly, his eyes flew to mine, and I felt nothing but a cold shiver at how uncharacteristically unreadable they became.

_"Stop looking at him, they'll see you. He'll think you're some stupid girl, just like earlier when you got shot."_

Wincing at my harsh thoughts, I took the time to look away, but I found my head slowly turning back to him. My friends continued their small talk, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. I was too caught up in this Shinobi's eyes.

After a long pause at the top of the stairs, he began walking toward me. With every step he took, my heartbeat got faster, until it was almost like a kid tapping a pencil to annoy everyone in the room.

He stopped in front of me with Akamaru by his side and the girls conversation ended in a split second.

The sudden silence seemed to startle him as he glanced at my friends and they all seemed to awkwardly look around the room.

"Hey," a deep voice made me look up into the depths of his eyes now. I couldn't even seem to help myself as the eyes that, any other day, I would have seen as cocky, seemed so... attractive to me.

"I forgot to help you wrap your wound, and I kinda feel like an idiot about it, so would you let me do that real fast?"

It wasn't like him, the most full-of-himself in the gang next to Naruto, to be this nervous. It wasn't like _any_ of the gang to be _so _nervous that they scratch the back of their heads, like Kiba was doing right in front of me.

With no regrets or second thoughts needed, I nodded quickly. Never before had I been in so much pain that I constantly had to bite my tongue to keep from screaming, and I figured putting _something_ on it would help.

I stood up, hearing the other girls giggle as I followed Kiba to the bathroom.

As soon as we were inside, the door seemed to close behind us on its own.

It took him less than a ten seconds to find the bandages. As Kiba began to wrap my arm, he grabbed my wrist and his crisp voice made the hair on my neck stand up. "Hold still."

All the while, every time his fingers touched my arm, I would shiver. There was absolutely _no_ way I felt anything for this Shinobi.

_"It's all fear. No feelings, just fear."_

I focused on telling myself this, and his hand suddenly let my wrist go. "There. _Try_ not to get shot again on your way back home, okay?"

His arrogance made my teeth grind together as he turned around and opened the door. Just as he began to leave, I burst out, my shyness getting ahold of me. "T-thanks!"

Kiba's head turned slightly to look at me, his eyes wider than they normally were.

"No problem," He muttered, looking away now. "It was bothering me, that's all."

I followed him out of the bathroom, staring down at my wrist, where he had held it. His grip was strangely tight, and I might even go as far as to say it hurt me, but it was nice. Maybe just a little more than nice.

Akamaru looked at the two of us as he watched us come around the corner.

When Kiba came up near him, Akamaru barked once as the tough gang member shrugged. "Tch, whatever."

He began to walk toward the stairs, not bothering to wait for his dog. I couldn't even help myself as I began to pet Akamaru. The dog went so far as to bark something at me and push his head into my thigh.

Naturally being just a little ticklish, I chuckled and Kiba turned around, glaring down at his partner.

I stopped laughing; I couldn't understand the emotion in his eyes. It was as if he wanted to speak, but he couldn't; like there was something holding him back.

However, he just snorted. "C'mon, Akamaru; let's go for a walk instead."

Akamaru pushed his head into my thigh once more and barked, and ran out of the door with his master. I looked out the window to see them both flying down the street, side-by-side.

My friends suddenly began to ask random questions, and quite frankly, I had forgotten they were there for a moment.

"It was… _bothering_ him?" Asked Tenten, seemingly in disbelief.

"Since when does _anything_ bother _Kiba?"_ Snorted Ino.

Hinata turned to me. "Um… if you don't mind me saying… I also agree that you two would make a great couple."

Temari slammed her fist into her hand, making me flinch. "Alright, that settles it! _You_ like Kiba, and _we're_ going to find a way to make you admit it to yourself!"

**The Gang's POV**

As soon as Kiba left, Lee looked up from the bandages on his arms that he was tying then retying. "Inuzuka seemed… out of it, do you all thing the same? Remember what he said? "I am going to go and get that girl some bandages, I can not believe I forgot?!" That is not like him."

Most of the other gang members looked up from whatever they had been doing.

Choji's eyebrow rose. "You noticed, too, Lee?"

Lee nodded, "Yes. I wonder what caused it; his sudden change…"

Naruto began to laugh, and Sasuke growled from behind a newspaper. "What is it, Dobe?!"

Between his bouts of laughter, Naruto proposed; "I think… the thing that's bothering him… is having that one girl in his lap!"

It was as if the circulation in the air stopped in the room; everyone was contemplating this thought.

Shino spoke up. "Yes… now that the thought has been mulled over for a moment, his actions since that time have been unexplainable."

Gaara closed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest and slumping against the wall. "What the hell is up with you guys and girls? We don't have _time_ for them. Even if we _were_ to pick up some girls… do you _want_ to put them in danger?"

The room went silent again, and Shikamaru sighed. "That's the most I've _ever_ heard you say at one time, Gaara… but in a way, he's right. I wouldn't want to put someone, _especially_ a girl, that I respect in danger just because I had to do business."

"I guess he's just not used to these kinds of things," Neji speculated, twirling a pen on the tip of his finger horizontally, seeming like he didn't have to try. "Inuzuka's never had feelings for anyone since becoming a member of The Ten, right?"

The group nodded, and Neji continued. "Yeah, so I guess it'd make sense as to his sudden behavior change."

However, Naruto was rubbing his hands together evilly, "I can't _wait_ to mess with 'em when he comes back! Finally, I can dish out what he's been giving _me_ since he found out about _my_ little feelings!"

The entire group seemed to roll their eyes as the gang went back to what they were doing.

Sasuke muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We can't plan or do _anything_ without all of the members present... where _is_ that Inuzuka when you need him?!"

**Dalila's POV**

Ever since the girls had ushered me over to the couch, they had begun to question me about all of the boy's looks and things as such, even resulting to ask about their own 'lover boys', which made most of them jealous just thinking about it.

However, I answered all of the questions easily because I refused to show any emotion, even when asked about Kiba.

But when he walked back through the door, all of the girls talking stopped and their eyes trained on me.

I can't say I really noticed them, though. My entire face was engulfed in a blush that I couldn't hide, and my only defense mechanism was to look away.

The one thing I did manage to see before I got too caught up in him again was how soaking wet he was. I could hear drizzling water hitting the roof, so that explained it before I thought of something dumb.

_"Please don't look at me,"_ I begged him in my mind. _"It's bad enough that the girls have to see me sweat over you; I don't WANT to sweat over you!"_

Of course, just my luck, I heard his footsteps stop. I looked up to meet his eyes for less than a moment as he looked away and headed down the stairs, shaking his hair, making water fly off of it.

Suddenly, I let out a breath as Kiba disappeared. I hadn't even noticed I was holding it until I let it go and my heart continued beating at a fast rate.

The sight polluted had polluted my mind with nearly endless fantasies it seemed.

I snapped out of it when Sakura looked up at me. "Dalila… his eyes were on you the _whole time_ he was _in_ here!"

Temari smirked triumphantly, but all that could escape from my own mouth was: "So? I don't care."

All of my friend's faces went from victorious to defeated in a heartbeat.

"Looks like it's back to square one," sighed Tenten, and the other girls sighed collectively.

**The Gang's POV**

The Ten were actually quite quiet as they enjoyed the evening's peace; it was almost fall, and the warm, summer days wouldn't last for long.

Footsteps from the stairs seemed to perk the room up as Kiba and Akamaru emerged from the door, kicking it closed.

Naruto smirked, finally seeing his chance. "Hey, Inuzuka. Why were you gone so long?"

Kiba just glanced at Naruto before shaking his head, making water fly from his hair. "Why would it matter to _you_, Uzumaki?"

Naruto almost seethed at this comment, but he chose to ignore it. " I was just asking."

The room was silent for a moment, until Kiba suddenly asked: "That girl… what's her name?"

All eyes in the room shifted to him, and Naruto burst out. "I _knew_ it!" He soon regained his composure as his eyes wandered to the Inuzuka as well. "Oh…_the_ girl? I believe her name is-"

"Dalila." Shino filled in for him.

"Dammit, Aburame! I don't need your help finishing my sentences!"

As Naruto quieted down, the gang watched as Kiba's eyes moved up to the ceiling. "Okay."

The room was silent again, and Naruto tried for another attempt at drawing out Kiba's feelings. "Inuzuka… we were all talking about the first thing we thought about the girls when we saw them. It's your turn."

Even though everyone in the room knew this was bullshit, Kiba wasn't normally the one who was able to see through these things.

Naturally, Kiba sighed. "Fine. Hinata; she must be related to Neji. Tenten; Bad news. Temari; she looks kind of mean. Ino; she dresses like a whore… Sakura; is that her real hair color? Dalila;…"

He stopped there, and everyone had turned to stare at him.

"Yes?" Naruto egged him on.

Kiba only looked away. "Dalila… she's just any other girl."

* * *

Decided to end it there. I think it'll get better in a bit. A little feedback wouldn't hurt me, either D: Ok. Rate/Review!

7/25/13: Why am I editing and posting on vacation .-.? Ah... rate/review!


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